Bust

[Artisan Rodge]

6 clubs closed in as many weeks.
http://www.thegolfbusiness.co.uk/2018/12/95-year-old-hertfordshire-golf-club-ceases-trading/

Of course when Potters Bar finally decided to address their problems it was too late. Last year they halved the membership fees to the main members and the Artisan section - were they just trying to drag every little penny they could out of unsuspecting new members ?
The Artisan section used to make a lot of money out of societies and visitors who found the main club Bar was shut.
Of course Artisan golf is a lot more fun anyway ! The guys at Potters Bar Artisans (and others) are always welcome at Verulam Artisans

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Of course when Potters Bar finally decided to address their problems it was too late. Last year they halved the membership fees to the main members and the Artisan section - were they just trying to drag every little penny they could out of unsuspecting new members ?
The Artisan section used to make a lot of money out of societies and visitors who found the main club Bar was shut.
Of course Artisan golf is a lot more fun anyway ! The guys at Potters Bar Artisans (and others) are always welcome at Verulam Artisans

I think your first sentence is the crux of a lot club issues. They simply refuse to accept there is a problem until it's too late.

 

[duncan mackie]

I think your first sentence is the crux of a lot club issues. They simply refuse to accept there is a problem until it's too late.

More realistically, there are many golf clubs who simply aren't in control,of their own destiny.

Many will be leaseholders and, as such, in the UK they will be fundamentally be at the whim and will of the property market and development trends.

 

[patricks148]

More realistically, there are many golf clubs who simply aren't in control,of their own destiny.

Many will be leaseholders and, as such, in the UK they will be fundamentally be at the whim and will of the property market and development trends.

it always amazes me the Golf clubs built on land they don't own, Royal Dornoch, still leases the land from then Duke of Sutherland, as do Brora.

 

[shortgame]

Pleased to say that my place have done all of what you suggest as we had to get our membership up - and keep it up.

In fact just last weekend we had our Club Christmas Show - about 40 members putting it on - and 3 shows in front of audience of maybe 70-80 a show. So if there is a bit of thespian in you then opportunity knocks - and then there's the club choir and concerts if you fancy harmonising with other members. On the golf side we have superb practice facilities - including more recently addition of three covered bays on our range (and room enough for the longest drivers); free range balls for members; indoor golf studio with GC2 and HMT launch monitor for lessons; plus separate putting green and large chipping practice ground. Meanwhile on the course we are rebuilding every single bunker as ecobunkers to ensure consistency across the course and to reduce bunker maintenance costs.

And we currently have a short waiting list. If you build it, They will come.

Sounds great... except the bit in bold which sounds horrific

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Why ? Club has all the practice facilities you would want, and course being improved. Social event you don’t have to attend, but raising money for charity.

We have lots of social events, including quiz nights, bridge evenings, themed meals in the evening. Some I attend, and some I don’t, but great to have a choice. I am sure the events raise money for the club, that then gets reinvested.

We have a full membership and a joining fee, so must be doing something right.

Quite right Richard. If as a member you are not in the slightest bit interested in what members do for other members on the social side (it's not the club management that does the social side - it's the members) then you needn't know any of it is happening and you'd never know. But it's there for a bit of fun - and creates new friendships between members - members who wouldn't otherwise know each other. And that can only be good for the membership as a whole and hence good for the club.

In addition to the money raised for the Captain's Charity - the Social Committee also invest in the clubhouse fixtures and fittings. And so just last week the Social Committee bought a new keyboard for the club - the previous one having blown up first night of this years show And this new keyboard was rolled out for the first time on Friday evening just gone for the club's Christmas Readings and Carols evening. Now that sort of funding just wouldn't be available if it weren't for the social side and events - and would be harder to justify to members were it coming out of subscriptions.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I think that perhaps clubs that rely on Captains to do everything are at a disadvantage as a club Captain is not necessarily a businessman or someone who can make the correct long-term decisions. In the old days when there were waiting lists and you had income from joining fees you didn't have to worry as much about finances, marketing, etc. as you do now.
That's why we changed to the Board of Management. The Captain contributes in terms of ideas and effort but there is a core of people who have the correct skills who are helping to guide the club forward.

Absolutely right. Maybe ten years ago our then club professional took over the retiring secretaries role - a role that included club business management . A great pro - but the business side of running and developing a golf club - rather than a professional business - just wasn't his bag. A couple of years ago we engaged a young guy whose background was business and marketing, and who had been doing that at another 'owned' club not too far from us. However, as it wasn't a members club his scope was limited. With him at the helm I think we are really pushing on as a club that develops and is now offering a really good product - above and beyond the golf course - which too is subject of a lot of investment.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Excuse my ignorance here but what happens after a club closes ? Does the clubhouse just shut, does the course just overgrow, what about the machinery ? Do the greens staff get paid off ?

Just happened to get a call from my son - he's doing a gig this evening in St Andrew's church Immingham and spotted the closed golf course next door. He was telling me how sad it was to see the nice clubhouse all shuttered up and the course becoming overgrown.

 

[GB72]

From what I hear, a club is going near me. Rutland County is closing at the end of March.

 

[HamiltonGuy]

Just happened to get a call from my son - he's doing a gig this evening in St Andrew's church Immingham and spotted the closed golf course next door. He was telling me how sad it was to see the nice clubhouse all shuttered up and the course becoming overgrown.

yeh there was a club that I pass on occasion mouse valley (kames) and it closed it’s strange seeing the clubhouse sitting empty and the outline of what once was the course

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I often pass Potters Bar GC (as was) on the train, it cuts a rather sad site, its recognisable still as a former golf course but is quite overgrown now, not too long before the developers move in I guess

 

[MendieGK]

Playing devils advocate, is it a bad thing that courses close? Does it not mean that a large proportion of these Members will move to other clubs.

We have too many courses in this country imo.

Not saying I’m right but wonder on people views

 

[sunshine]

I often pass Potters Bar GC (as was) on the train, it cuts a rather sad site, its recognisable still as a former golf course but is quite overgrown now, not too long before the developers move in I guess

I pass it on the train too. Somebody is still cutting the grass, but you would struggle to spot where the greens used to be.

The land is green belt, so the developers would have to get it declassified before starting any work.

 

[USER1999]

I pass it on the train too. Somebody is still cutting the grass, but you would struggle to spot where the greens used to be.

The land is green belt, so the developers would have to get it declassified before starting any work.

Surely a golf course is brown, not green belt, even if in a green belt area?

 

[Grizzly]

On a slightly different note, I was asked my a colleague yesterday about a London course, West Middlesex Golf Club, which is up for sale by administrators. Anyone know what the story is there?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Playing devils advocate, is it a bad thing that courses close? Does it not mean that a large proportion of these Members will move to other clubs.

We have too many courses in this country imo.

Not saying I’m right but wonder on people views

I think there are too many courses, many of which came along rapidly in the 80's boom and have since struggled. Is it a bad thing? I guess for those employed by the club such as green staff, admin and clubhouse staff if it means losing their job and struggling to find another it will be a big issue. Clearly if a business is unsustainable then unless it gets bought out it will close. I do agree that for members, it is going to be much easier to simply find another club

 

[Diamond]

I have been a member of private social and sporting clubs for 30 years. Without members using the bar and getting involved with the clubs activities they will struggle and eventually fold.
The drink driving clamp down (rightly so) in the 80's and 90's stopped a lot of people from playing and then socialising over a few pints. Clubs could no longer survive on membership only.
The well run clubs, with the best facilities, hardest working committees and busy and well supported social calender will continue to thrive.
What I will say is anyone who pays for membership, turns up and plays golf, bowls, cricket, football etc and leaves is not fully supporting the club or helping its future. Dont then be surprised to see the club/course to deteriorate, membership dwindle and clubs eventually fold. But again the members who turn up play and leave will have no qualms in signing on elsewhere. Survival of the fittest.

 

[SteveJay]

What I will say is anyone who pays for membership, turns up and plays golf, bowls, cricket, football etc and leaves is not fully supporting the club or helping its future. Dont then be surprised to see the club/course to deteriorate, membership dwindle and clubs eventually fold.

I would question whether a club has set its membership fees at the appropriate level if it was reliant on other such income to ensure the course and facilities were maintained. Surplus income from the non-core activities should surely be used to enhance rather than maintain facilities.

 

[Orikoru]

This weekend I was looking for somewhere cheap to play away from our home course, and we're genuinely running out of options. We lost Ruislip and Bushey Hall last year, and they were two of our regular go-to courses. Now all we have is Rickmansworth or we have to go much further afield out to Slough. Even Wexham I'm sure I heard is having work done to it so the course has been made temporarily much shorter.

 

[Grizzly]

This weekend I was looking for somewhere cheap to play away from our home course, and we're genuinely running out of options. We lost Ruislip and Bushey Hall last year, and they were two of our regular go-to courses. Now all we have is Rickmansworth or we have to go much further afield out to Slough. Even Wexham I'm sure I heard is having work done to it so the course has been made temporarily much shorter.

How cheap is cheap? There seem to be plenty of decent ones for not a huge amount of money from what I can see!